Girlfriends started out as a clever mix of Sex In The City's blunt honesty and and the fun of Living Single. As the series progressed, the show's original inspirations slowly began to fade and the show became more of a dramedy. Some welcomed this change, which really showed itself in this third season. Others, such as myself, began to see these changes as a negative change away from what the show was originally about.
There are still moments of fun and laughter that were present in the previous two seasons. I can understand how those who hunger for more catfights and backbiting on the show would get sick of peaceful yet feisty African-American women who never really have a huge fallout in their lives. That's not reality.
Honestly people, the show just wasn't the same after all the seemingly radical character changes and the constant need to make the girls (sans one) go through revolving door relationships.
The third season of the show, which centers around four African-American women in Los Angeles, starts off with some held-over drama from last season involving Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross) getting over another break-up and Maya (Golden Brooks) dealing with the separation from her husband Darnell (Khalil Khan). Lynn (Persia White) still hasn't found a career yet and is shacking up in William's new place, while Toni (Jill Marie Jones) is thriving with her new career in real estate.
Eventually, as the episodes go on, Joan finds a new boyfriend in actor Ellis Carter (Adrian Lester) who is a bit of a confrontation freak (to near-frightening levels). I have no idea why writer Mara Brock Akil decided to pair them up. Although Joan always seems to fight with her boyfriends to the nth degree, they seem to have zero chemistry and seem to only get back together as more of an apology for offending the other.
This season also marks the beginning of the "Crazy Toni" era which jumps off when Toni decides to date plastic surgeon Todd Garrett (Jason Pace) who, despite his short height and white skin color, woos her after coming to her rescue. Joan, who is crazy, is a character that you can laugh at when she goes over the top. Toni, who is the more shallow and gold-digger type of the foursome, develops an eerie crazy that doesn't come off as funny and instead seems more sad and depressing. The height of all the insanity Mara and company put her though was having her talk to a doll Todd gave her for a gift that looks exactly like her.
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